Redemption (The Restoration Series Book 1) (7 page)

 We entered into the tiled room, its bright lights on, and were instructed to stand underneath the overhead showers. This time, no one fought or hesitated. We kept our eyes down and followed instructions. I instinctively moved closer to where Evie was standing.

 She noticed my bandages and winced as they soaked through to my skin. We gripped our hands together and stood under the steady stream of water, helping each other rinse our hair and scrub the dirt from our bodies.

 “I’m sorry, Nova.” She whispered as a tear slid down her face. I glanced up into her wet violet eyes and grimaced at the shame I knew she felt.

 “It’s not your fault.” My fingers tightly grasped hers and I leaned into her for support.

 “Yes. It is. If I hadn’t…” 

 I put my hand up to her lips to silence her. “No. Nothing you could have done could have ever predicted this.” Letting her see the sincerity in my eyes, I held her gaze until she understood.

 She nodded and turned her back so I could scrub the dark stains marring her skin. She trembled under my fingers and I tried to soothe her as much as I could. This would be the only time I got to see her today.

 “Thanks for asking the doctor to tell me you were okay last night. I was really worried.”

 “I was hoping he’d be able to get to you. He didn’t try to touch me, Nova. I don’t think he is like the rest of them.”

 “Maybe not, but he’s still working for them, knowing what’s happening here. It still makes him just as guilty.”

 “I guess.” She sighed and shuffled out of the water stream. We pulled our simple cotton gowns over our heads, tying the straps on our shoulders for each other. The old woman walked in once again and handed out small sandwiches for each of us. We took them and ate them greedily. They didn’t feed us much food. Just enough to keep us from starving, I assume. They wouldn’t make any money if we were dead.

 We shuffled back to our rooms, keeping our eyes glued to the floor in front of us. We each stood by our chamber doors, waiting for our keepers to let us back inside. Demon walked slowly down the hall. After letting Brooke into her room next to me, he turned and unlocked my door, pushing it open and waiting for me to shuffle inside.

 “Hands.”

 I lifted them up and waited for him to remove the chains. He did so, and I stayed silent as he stepped out the door, slamming it closed behind him and turning the lock. I don’t know how I found any more tears. My eyes were raw and couldn’t handle anymore, but in that moment alone before the first traitor of the day, I found myself resting on my mattress stifling sobs into my quilt. The door creaked open and in walked the doctor, his face dirty and worried.

 “I’m just bringing you some clean bandages.” He held out a pack of sterile squares and waited for me to acknowledge that it was fine for him to approach. He bent down next to the mattress and peeled back the water-seeped bandages, taking a small cloth to dry the area. Afterward, he replaced them with the new dry strips and taped them in place.

 “I’m sorry, Nova. I hate that this is happening.” He crumbled the dirty supplies in his hand and tossed them
in the small trash can.

 “You didn’t do this.” I watched him carefully as he stood back to
position.

 “I’m going to try and convince him to let you heal today. I’ll see what I can do.” Defeated, he turned and walked out the door. I had no idea if it would work, or if Demon would find a sliver of mercy inside of him, but I doubted it. There was nothing merciful about that man.

 It wasn’t long until the bartering had started. I heard voices
down the halls of men conversing back and forth. The girls didn’t make
as much noise anymore. Everything was eerily silent and I feared that all of us had become lost and had surrendered to our fate. I know I had. There wasn’t an end.

 Demon opened my door, glaring at me, waiting to see if I would fight, but I didn’t. I stood on my shaking legs and moved to the center of the room, as if I were preparing for sentencing, and Demon was the judge. Demon smirked and faced the silver-haired man next to him, his expensive suit evidence that he came from money. A few exchanged words and the pale-skinned man handed Demon a wad of bills and then stepped inside the room.

 “My, you are a beautiful girl.” The man spoke gently. I couldn’t look into his face. I learned on the first day that I shouldn’t stare at the clients, so I set my eyes on a mark
in the floor and let my blonde hair fall in a curtain around me. His shiny black shoes moved into my view
at the floor and he moved around me fluidly, until he made a complete circle.

 “Look up, angel.” I didn’t obey the command, fearing his reaction. He waited a few moments before growing impatient and fisted his hand in my hair, forcing my eyes upward.

 “Do not force me to hurt you.” He spat in my face and then let go, rubbing his hand across his eyes. His breathing became labored and he removed his jacket, hanging it gently
across the door handle.

 I knew it was coming, the darkness. I waited in hopes it would take me soon. It didn’t disappoint me. He moved me to lay on my mattress. I didn’t fight this time, knowing that I couldn’t sustain any more injuries. I laid back and turned my face to the wall, closing my eyes, and started counting. One. Two. Three. Four…. and on until my mind flowed to another time, somewhere away from here.

* * *

FOUR YEARS AGO

TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Freshman Orientation

NOVA

 I stepped into the stark white hallway of the dormitory building. The dark blue doors were spaced evenly apart every twenty feet down each side, and I counted the doors until I located the number matching my registration slip. Seventeen. I fumbled for my key and slipped it out of my purse, balancing a large pink sports bag on my shoulder. Stepping into the plainly furnished room, I smiled at the sight of the tall dark-haired girl dancing excitedly around the room as she unpacked boxes and listened to whatever upbeat music blared through the tiny white buds plugged into her ears.

 I grinned and dropped my bag at my feet, waving to get her attention. It took her a moment to notice me and when she did she tripped over a small plastic bin at her feet and fell onto her bed.

 “Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry!” She laughed, pushing herself up from her bright yellow bedding and pulling her headphones out of her ears. Her eyes sparkled with humor and I couldn’t help but laugh.

 I reached out my hand. “Hi. I’m Nova.”

 She pulled my hand
into hers and smiled. “Wow. That’s an awesome name. Is it short for something?”

 “Nope.” I chuckled.

 “Well then, my name is Evie. And that is short for Evelyn.”

 “Nice to meet you.” I slipped my hand out of hers and reached down to lift my large sports duffel, tossing it onto the unmade bed on the left side of the room.

 “Need help getting more stuff from downstairs?” She asked me, sliding the plastic bin she had just tripped over underneath her bed.

 “Yeah. That would be great. Thanks.”

 We chatted the whole way down the stairs and out to the parking lot to my car. It seemed we had a lot in common and I was excited to find someone who I felt instantly connected to. I piled a few bags into Evie’s hands and grabbed the large box from my backseat, avoiding the top of the door frame as I lifted it into my arms.

 “So, what are you studying?” Evie asked as we headed back toward our building.

 “I’m an education major.” I smiled.

 “Oooh! That sounds like fun. I haven’t decided what I want to do yet, so I’m just getting the basics out of the way for now. What is your schedule like? Are you looking forward to any classes? Do you know anybody here?” Evie fired question after question, and I answered each one as we pushed our way through the large glass door.

 “I have classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Practice for the swim team on Tuesdays. I’m looking forward to my ‘Teaching Diverse Populations’ class. And I know exactly one person here, you!” I joked and she cackled beside me.

 “Oh, we’re going to be such good friends. I can already tell.” Evie slid her key into the dorm room door and held it open for me. I slipped past her and set the box down on my small oak desk before taking a seat in the cushioned chair beside it.

 “So are there any plans for campus tonight? Required
freshman attendance?” I prodded, hoping we could do our own thing.

 “There is a quick hall meeting at five, but then we’re free I think. Why?”

 “Let’s go explore the campus!” I hopped up, snatching her fingers and pulling her out the door with me.

 We pushed through the glass doors that lead to the sprawling green lawn behind our building and started walking toward the center of campus. There were crowds of students sprawled everywhere across the lawn. As we walked down the path, the trees parted to reveal a pebbled trail.

 “Let’s go!” Evie slipped her arm through mine and pulled me closer. We pounded our feet across the pavement and found a posted sign at the entrance
of the trail. VICTORY LAKE. She squealed and kept moving with me attached to her side as if I were a doll and she were a toddler. We worked our way down the path and watched as the line of trees cleared and a sprawling lake glistened before us. There were a few picnic areas and a small beach that allowed swimmers to spend the day in the water. A boating dock floated a few yards to our right, and boats were flying across the top of the water.

 “Now this is a place I could see spending a lot of time.” I gasped at the pure beauty of it, letting the peace of nature fill my senses and the rays of
sun kiss my face.

* * *

PRESENT DAY

(Unknown Location)

NOVA

 The man left, and the door shut before I could move. At least there weren’t any lasting injuries this time. I reached for the dry rag underneath my bed and continued to clean myself, rubbing my skin raw in some places. Suddenly feeling sick, I rushed over to the trash can and emptied my stomach of the little sustenance that had taken its place inside.

 I set the can by the door and moved myself to lay on the mattress again, making a cocoon with the blanket around me. Just as I was about to find sleep again, the door opened and in walked the old woman, carrying a small canvas bundle in her hands. She placed the carefully folded material on the foot of the bed and waited for me to sit up, motioning with her fingers to look. I let the blanket fall to my waist and pushed myself over to see the items she presented.

 Her knobby fingers gently unfolded the cloth to reveal a navy blue nightgown with white lace embellishments. I didn’t know what she was trying to do, but there was no way I was going to put that on. I shook my head, eyes wide in fright. She just nodded and attempted to speak.

 “Safe,” she said as she pointed to the nightgown and then to me.

 How could a nightgown make me safe? I kept shaking my head and she insisted again.

 “Safe.” Her voice was firm as she reached for the gown on my body. I tried to move away from her, but she stopped and stared at me intently. I looked back at the silk and then to her.

 “Safe?” I questioned. She nodded her head.

 “But how? How is that going to make me safe? I don’t understand. I don’t want to wear that!” Sobs choked in my throat, and I had to struggle to keep my voice down.

 She took my hand and reached up to wipe the tears from my eyes. “Safe,” she said again. I relented, sighing in resignation, and reached for my dress, pulling it above my head. She gently prodded the sore area on my ribs with her fingers and then handed me the blue nightgown. I quickly slipped it over my body, letting it pool around my hips on the mattress. She nodded and grabbed my old clothing, shoving it into the canvas and hiding it out of sight. She stood and knocked on the door, waiting for it to open. Demon pushed it open and allowed her to walk outside, eying me with a sinister glare.

 “We will get a lot of money for you, girl. Stay silent and do what you’re told.”

 Hours passed before I heard any sign of commotion outside my cell. Sadness and fear rippled through me as I waited for whatever was planned to come next.
How am I going to survive this?

 My eyes closed and I let my mind think about my parents, wondering if they would have been informed of my missing
status, and if they were headed this way. Having no idea where I was being held, I prayed to whatever I could think to pray to that authorities were looking for us and that my parents had hope instead of despair.

 There was a light tapping on the door and a few seconds later the doctor walked in. My fingers gripped the quilt and pulled it up to my chin, hiding my nearly bare body from his view. He kept his eyes trained on my face.

 “Hello, Nova,” he whispered, shutting the door quietly behind him.

 I was afraid that he’d strike me if I spoke, so I stayed stoically silent. He moved closer to the edge of my mattress and crouched down on his haunches so to be closer to my eye level.

 “It’s all right. I’m not going to hurt you. I promised you last night that I wouldn’t, but I need to check your wounds.” He waited patiently for me to lower the blanket and move it from my legs. I closed my eyes tightly, letting my breathing stay calm and even as he pulled the white medical gauze away from my leg and gently prodded around the stitched wound. I peeked through my lashes, watching him as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small white tube. Dabbing an ample amount of clear gel on his finger, he gently lathed my wound and applied a new dressing. He repeated the process on my other thigh. When he was finished, he tossed the old bandages in the trash and stood by the door. His face was somber and I could see the regret in his eyes.

 “Why are you helping them?” I whispered, pulling the blanket back around me.

 “It’s the only way,” he said with resignation.

 “What do you mean?”

 “Listen, Nova. There’s a group of people who are working diligently to get you and Evie out of here. But they have to do it carefully and safely. Do you understand?”

 I straightened and my eyes went wide. “You mean they know?
Someone is coming? My family?”